You Can Only Lead People…

…and if you can’t handle that, leadership isn’t for you.

In chapter 2 of 16 Stones, I talk about five passions that leaders must have if they want to lead effectively. The third is:

#3—Passion for people. You don’t lead machines, you don’t lead software, and you don’t lead buildings. You lead people. Leading is always about people. So if you are going to lead, you better have passion for people. If you don’t really care much about the people you are trying to lead, they’ll know it and will only follow you kicking and screaming because they have to. You will have to drag them along, and you’ll be worn out long before you get to the finish line.
From 16 Stones

If leading people was easy, anyone could do it. But it’s not because:

People aren’t robots. You can’t program them to do exactly what you want, the way you want.
People are different. What works with one, doesn’t work with others.
People have issues that affect their work. They show up burdened with whatever is going on at home, with their health, financially, and so on.
People have personal agendas. Some want your job. Others don’t want any job and are only working for the paycheck.
People have limitations. Every group/team has people of different skill levels. Not everyone is a superstar; some are mere mortals. The leader’s job is to coach them up into a winning unit.
People won’t all like you. You probably are not as loveable as you think you. You still have to lead them.
People don’t all listen well; some not at all. But they can see. That’s why example is more important than words are.
People ________________ (fill in the blank yourself).

Taking on a leadership role is taking on a people role. If you don’t want to deal with people stuff, then leadership isn’t for you. But that’s okay. There are a lot of great ways besides leading that you can contribute to your organization. Leading may not be for you, but something of value is. Find it and be excellent at it.

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© Copyright 2021 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.